startingbloc

i spent the day at nyu wagner for the final installment of my startingbloc fellowship. this semester i've been marinating in social enterprise, between my internship at innovest and the numerous conferences i've been attending through the fellowship and independently. there is entirely too much to say about the field and what i've learned over the last three months, but i do want to get a few particularly compelling notes down:

***

for me, the most inspiring speaker was judith wicks, owner of the white dog cafe in philadelphia, who spoke at our first institute at wharton. the white dog cafe is a successful exercise in what it means to incorporate social responsibility into a business... from the organic/free-range, locally-grown food, to living wages, to their use of green, locally-produced energy, the restaurant is premised on the philosophy that business is not about money, but about creating and sustaining authentic relationships in your local community.

the problem with the modern economy is that it is based on an outdated understanding of adam smith's "invisible hand" theory. back when adam smith wrote about self-regulating markets, businesses were small and local enough that the interests of the community were implicitly part of decision-making. today, the consumer is so removed from the producer who is removed from the owner, that the direct economic relationships which used to factor into regulating the market no longer exist. businesses focus on the financial interests of their shareholders and on outputs, rather than the interests of the community in which they operate, or outcomes in the global community at-large. according to judith, the world is a very disconnected place and people have the sense that only money can bring security. (what would friedman say about this?) envy and material growth drive us; therefore we measure our succcess by having more, and not being more

the view judith espouses is that all life is interconnected, and our security lies in community and partnership. it would seem that she is merely prostelizing, and i admit it sounds a bit hokey, but she actually practices everything she preaches, and is very successful as a result. she is a self-proclaimed capitalist, but believes we need to move away from corporate globalization/monoculture which actually limit our choices and towards local ownership and community commitment/reinvestment which give us voice. she calls her movement the "local living economy movement," and you can read more about it here.

i am infatuated with judith and her philosophy about local communities and partnerships (though, i'm somewhat skeptical that we'll disown corporate behemoths completely). this is the stuff that compels me, and sometimes, in the throes of my program, i forget that that's why i'm there. i mean, i look back on my personal statement for grad school which reads:

I realized national and global changes must begin at a local level through the development of communities and networks; the social engagement and civic involvement fostered by interactions between diverse people is fertile soil for progressive and far-reaching policy-making.... [L]arge-scale and global changes could not occur without the proper foundation that increased social capital brings.... I frequently [revisit] the idea that the issue of non-participation [is] more profound, systematically rooted in the absence of diverse and empathetic relationships between people."

and i think: "kristine, this is the fire in your belly!" i love it... it really fascinates me how people build, sustain, and act in and because of their communities, and how that ripples through the system, from the individual actor to the world at-large. it is truly a powerful thing to belong to something bigger than yourself. i just need to figure out how to translate what i want to do into a career. what job, on a day-to-day basis, really involves creating and developing authentic relationships within a community?

***

speaking of which, david bornstein was our keynote speaker for our "graduation" today... entirely appropriate. his message is that "the art of social change is unleashing people's potential to be social actors" and that we must continually seek a view of the world that is fundamentally different from our own. he voiced a concern that i frequently grapple with, which is the fear i will be pushed into a job because of a "marketable and lucrative competancy" and not because it's what i really want to do. his advice? don't be afraid to take risks; success is built on "failing forward"--and the biggest risk is doing something that doesn't turn you on for 50 years. (amen).

***

richard perl. honestly, i can't believe that, by virtue of my fellowship, i am connected to the man who started "businesses for social responsibility" and "net impact." richard perl spoke at the first institute and hosted our graduation party at his chocolate shop, chocolat michel cluizel (absolutely sinful, by the way). notes from his speech: "inter-related global problems require inter-related comprehensive global solutions... unless we change our direction, we will end up where we're headed... and social change is a party."

***

lastly... my fellow fellows. truly an amazing bunch, and i was humbled to be included in their company. i spoke to one guy today who was graduating with master's in international education, moving to california to play on a semi-professional soccer team, meanwhile also working with a non-profit he started to educate high-school athletes about issues of sexual assault. these are the kinds of people i'm rubbing elbows with! i'm excited that many of them our moving to the city this summer, and i definitely anticipate more fun times ahead!